Harmony, Tonic and Tulips

Hi everyone, what a lovely day it was yesterday, a bit of gardening and then on with the crochet.  Am on a mission to finish the beautiful Attic24 Harmony blanket using Stylecraft Special DK.  I've fallen in love with this blanket, though it has taken me a while to get to grips with joining the squares I appear to be making good progress.  Lucy is such an amazing inspiration and I love the bright colours in her designs.  She has launched her newest blanket on Friday the Hydrangea blanket.  Details can be found here Lucy, Attic24.  If you are looking for more inspiration for your crochet, why not have a look at the Stylecraft Blogsters.  Full details here Stylecraft Blogsters.  I find inspiration everywhere.

I have, this week been watching the Tonic Studio's launch on Hochanda - a link to the website is here  Hochanda's website and spending my hard earned cash.  Well done to Tonic and Hochanda for launching such brilliant products.  If you have a Tonic die it is for life, and will last forever.  I managed to make a birthday card for my friend Maggie whose birthday was on Thursday - Happy Birthday Maggie.

I love this time of year in the garden, the bright colours of the tulips waving their previous petals, the magnolias coming into bloom, flowering cherry trees, the birds busy on the feeders in the garden.  The warmth of the sun whilst you are pottering in the garden.  Bring on the summer.  My seeds are growing really well in the greenhouse, I have lots of pricking out to do.

Have a good week.

Enjoy the photos below.

Joining squares

A pile of gorgeousness

Maggie's birthday card using Tonic Dies

Some pretty tulips

Isla, now been with us for a year.

Millie, now been with us four years.

Five strips joined, another four to go.

Such pretty colours...

I love the colours in this blanket.

A Springtime Sunday - well almost!

Hi everyone, not quite sure who reads my ramblings, but its been quite an eventful week, signs of spring are all around the corner, this time of year makes me get excited about the summer and the colours that emerge in the garden, it starts becoming alive with crocus and daffodils.  Our poor garden has been a bit neglected with Mum's fall last summer and her breaking her leg and hip quite badly that she is now permanently on crutches, she still remains cheerful and has put her recovery time to good use and has, at the age of 75, learnt to crochet after being a knitter for most of her adult life.  I am extremely proud of what she has achieved.  We quite often have PJ days here on a Sunday, our day off where we catch up on TV and sit and do our crafts together.

I'm quite excited about the fact I picked up my new glasses this week and have started working on a sock again.  I undone the original one as I kept making mistakes and now I have my new glasses I can see much clearer.  I have started another sock in a plain colour so its easier for me to start with.  Again West Yorkshire Spinners which is such amazing yarn to work with.  I've been quite enjoying knitting a jumper as well during the darker evenings.  I must say huge thank you to Christine Perry and her Sockalong Facebook Group for all the support they have given me during the difficult times I've had starting my first socks.  I'm determined that I will get this sorted and will finish it.

My dogs (two Cairn Terriers) were groomed this week, they have also been enjoying lots of walks this week and playing and running around our large garden.  They really are the best of friends.  We've only had Isla the little grey one for almost a year.  They have bonded so well together and really are my best friends in the whole world.  Always there with a lick and a cuddle when I need one.

I'm all enthusiastic about my garden again, we have a new gardener who is an absolute star and it is beginning to look like our garden again rather than a display of weeds and grass.  I'm getting all enthusiastic about starting off my veg this year and sewing some flower seeds.  I love all this bit of gardening, weeding is what I detest though!

Anyway, whatever you are doing this week, please have fun and enjoy the spring weather.

 Mum and the cushion made with Sirdar Snuggly. 

The back of the cushion.

Little Isla likes the cushion.

Mum starting her new jumper and getting in a bit of a muddle

 with the wool.  It happens to us all doesn't it!!

My first attempt at a sock, sadly this one got 

undone as I miscounted the shaping

The beginnings of a sock and my new reading glasses.

Spring time crocus in a butler sink - mum was weeding this when she fell :(

A beautiful primrose.

My two besties, Isla is the grey one and Millie the cream

Isla is almost 2 and Millie 4.

Saturday - A day crocheting in front of the TV

Happy Saturday everyone, its finally the weekend, time I get to spend on my hobbies and crafting.  Some exciting things have been happening this week which I want to share with you guys.

As you know sadly The Craft Channel is no longer with us, but the most fantastic news this week is that the amazing Dawn Bibby the person responsible for getting me started on card making is joining Hochanda with her very on brand Dawn Bibby Creations Dawn Bibby Creations.  Please go and like the new page to keep up to date on what she is up to.  So pleased for her and I look forward to following her on another journey.

Also brilliant news is the amazingly talented Rebecca Seddon is also joining Hochanda with her brand Rebecca Seddon Designs.  Her facebook page is Rebecca Seddon Designs please also go and visit her page for further details of what will be up and coming this week.

I have also signed up for the Little Box of Crochet, as I read that Lucy at Attic24 had designed something.  These are due out for delivery this week,  I shall be reviewing this next week when it arrives.  Cannot wait to receive it.

I have been working on my ripple blanket love the pattern, was having a few issues with wavy edges on the sides and had to rip a lot undone at the beginning of the week but its now coming up much straighter.  Loving the colours of the Stylecraft Merry Go Round.

My Attic24 Ripple blanket is growing nicely.

I've also found Lucy's blog is great and her adventures with knitting socks has made me want to have a go.  The Sockalong looks great fun, I have purchased some double pointed needles (DPN) and some circulars and have some yarn from West Yorkshire Spinners, it looks like really luxurious yarn, I've not used such amazing yarn before, so will write about it when my sockalong starts.  You can find the link to the sockalong here Winwick Mum Sockalong and the West Yorkshire Spinners here West Yorkshire Spinners.

Whatever you are doing this weekend, have a great one, I shall be sitting curled up next to these two.

Isla on the left and Millie on the right, my two Cairn Terriers, my best friends.

Crocheting, the best way to spend a Sunday

I've recently become a hooker, now that's got your attention, by hooker I mean a crocheter.  I always wanted to be able to crochet beautiful things, I have managed to teach my Mum how to crochet at age 75, she's back knitting again but is going back to crocheting soon.  I literally haven't picked my hook down since the beginning of December.  I've always been a knitter and love and stash away yarn (as with all my other crafts, my little cottage I share with Mum, two Cairn Terriers, two cats, two guinea pigs and a tortoise) is fit to bursting, but Mum and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love to indulge in crafting, its the only thing that keeps me sane.

As you know I make cards, cross stitch, knit, make jewellery and grow my own vegetables and flowers for the garden.  Never one to be lazy.

Mum and I live in a small Essex village called Stapleford Abbotts in an over 100 year old terraced cottage with a huge garden.  I learnt to knit when I was 11, tapestry soon came along after that.  I always wanted to make those pretty granny square blankets.

Anyway, I learnt to crochet a few years ago and made a granny square blanket and a baby shawl and then decided I couldn't get my head around crocheting and put my hook down.

The past two years have been rather trying, and stressful Mum was diagnosed with a malignant kidney tumour that thankfully is remaining stable then in the summer she fell in the garden and badly broke her femur and is now on crutches and has poor mobility as a result.  She decided that she wanted to learn to crochet so had an afternoon's lesson from my Aunt and the rest is history.  She made this beautiful blanket all using oddments of Sirdar Snuggly that we had laying around at home.

I then discovered Lucy from Attic 24 and now have all the squares for a beautiful Harmony Blanket made, just have to join them, and a Granny Stripe Blanket kit sitting in my stash waiting to be started.

In the meantime I've been practicing straight edges and different stitches and made a couple of baby blankets.

I've been a Sirdar fan for many years, but have recently discovered the quality of Stylecraft Special DK which I love, it crochets beautifully.  I have also used King Cole Candystripe and James C Brett Baby Marble all in double knitting and they all work beautifully.

My favourite places to order wool from are Woolwarehouse, Black Sheep and Knitwell.  They are all fantastic companies,  Nothing better than getting a delivery of yarn is there?

I would by no means class myself as an expert, I'm more of a beginner really, just mastering my skills.

Enjoy your Sunday.  Below are some of the crochet projects that Mum and I have been working on.  Happy Hooking xxx

Some of the beautiful Harmony Blanket squares waiting for me to finish off joining them.  Thank you to Lucy Attic 24 and Stylecraft for producing such fantastic yarn.

I'm new to blogging, so please give me a follow and follow my yarny journey.

This is Mum's first completed blanket using Sirdar Snuggly.

This is a baby blanket using King Cole Candy Stripe.

And this my first C2C using James C Brett Baby Marble - perfect for using this type of yarn.

Die cutting like a dream

Hi everyone. A few months ago I invested in a Gemini die cutting machine made by Crafter's Comppanion and I wanted to say what a brilliant machine it is. No wonder it sells out everywhere and is on back order. It cuts even the most intricate dies like butter.

Have you been watching the Tonic Live shows featuring Owain and Alison? Haven't they been brilliant. They now do two shows a week, including one called Teatime With Tinic where you can show off your cards which you have made. Such brilliant fun. They also give away lots of dies each week. Pop over to e Tonic Live Chat Facebook Group and see what it's all about.

Things are getting busy on my Crafting With The Craft Channel Facebook Group. Come on operandi join in the fun.

Here are a few of my recent makes.

Joytopia for The Craft Channel

So sorry I haven't blogged for a while but lots has been going on. I've been busy crafting and enjoying myself.

I was lucky enough to be chosen by The Craft Channel to receive a Joytopia Summer Song kit before anyone else. My dream come true to be on. a design team. I managed to make so many cards and got photos back to the Channel to use on launch day.

Here are cards that I made with Mum.

We had such a lovely time working with this.

Crafts Really are Therapeutic and Relaxing.....

Good morning everyone.  Thought I'd say hello as it's been a while.  Been suffering with shoulder pain rendering me unable to do much crafting and I've missed it with a vengeance.

I am most definitely one of those people who cannot sit in front of the television and not do anything as I feel I am wasting my time.

I couldn't do my knitting this week or my cross stitch so had to get the colouring books out as it was all I could manage.

The worst thing for me when I'm in pain is the stress levels it causes me when I can't do anything, it drives me mad.

I have started using my Tattered Lace Big Blue die cutting machine and I love it, I really wonder what has taken me so long to get an electric one.  I am not starting any more card kits I want to have a play with my dies.

We have bought a few new crafty bits this week.  We have on order the 50 shades of Mirri from Hunkydory and three more fab little books - they are so lovely.  We have also ordered some gems from The Craft Channel whose snazzy pink padded envelopes and the speedy delivery are such a breath of fresh air.  We have bought some new glue from there as well to try. Oh and I've also got some Dew Drop Ink Pads.  Naughty aren't we!

A few new dies have snuck in too, some Sweet Dixie Bunting and some Tattered Lace alphabet bunting, a hot air balloon die and a beautiful lacy heart.

So many fantastic brands of crafty items out there too much to chose from, no wonder we all have full craft rooms and empty bank accounts.

Big week for us this week, Mum and I have a trip up to London to the University College Hospital for her pre-assessment as she has her kidney surgery on 14th March.

Hope you like my cards, one is made from Trimcraft's Sweet Treat collection and the others are Hunkydory little book creations.